Three Days Over
by NerdzClub
Summary: CHAPTER FIVE: Inspection, part two. Everything begins to come together. Depending on some factors, this fanfic may end earlier than intended!
1. Day One: Revealed

N/A- I don't own Heroes, but these characters are mine. So back off!

Anyway, thanks for even taking the time to look over this. It means a lot to me. Please feel free to comment! Hopefully I can crank out a chapter every week (or at least every other week). But for the time being prepare to be somewhat confused and hopefully entertained!

Three Days Over

Day One: The Revealed

_Evolution is not a pathway._

_It is not a ladder that every species climbs, where there is a right direction- up, and a wrong direction- down. _

_In reality, Evolution is close to a dark labyrinth in which occasionally one finds himself in a desirable position, and other times one finds himself in a perilous one, but in the end all are entrapped within the maze, forever changing direction with no concept of right and wrong. _

_In much the same way we find abstract concepts such as morality. Is there a right and a wrong? Is a wrongdoing done for the right reasons justifiable? If one knew that something was supposed to happen, or was going to happen, or was happening right before their eyes, does the spectator have a duty to administer justice? _

_Are there degrees of right and wrong, or is a sin a sin?_

_- _

Museum, 5:00am

"Thomas," a female voice behind him called. Thomas' concentration broke. He turned over to the voice.

"What is it, Aubrey?" Thomas asked.

"We need to leave soon," Aubrey announced as she marched past him. "The museum will open soon, and then our private viewing won't be so private anymore."

"Okay," Thomas sighed. "I'll get to the car in a minute." His little I.D. card, identifying him as an authorized student, swung low as he ducked down to look at one last artifact. It was a pot, made of clay and with no identification on it. He reached out to touch it…

"Hey!" Aubrey called. "You better not be touching the artifacts up there!"

Thomas rolled his eyes. He didn't answer.

She walked farther away and out of eye sight. Thomas reached out and touched the pot carefully, just with the tip of his fingers. He exhaled loudly… closed his eyes-

"Damn, should've known it was a duplicate," he sighed. Thomas straightened up, walking across the room to the next artifact.

-

Just outside…

It was chilly out. Not cold enough for ice, but damned cold. A soft wind was creeping down the pre-sunrise street- the kind of wind that was just cold enough to cut through your hoodie and brush against your skin, causing an instinctive shiver.

Stephen felt such a shiver as he passed a girl coming out of the museum.

_Damned early for a museum to be opened, _he thought to himself as she walked over to the nearby parking lot in the opposite direction of the one he was walking. _Must be five o'-fuckin' clock._

Stephen walked on, wondering how he was talked in to _walking _to the store instead of driving. _Didn't even buy anythin'… _

Suddenly Stephen noted something was wrong… the hairs on his neck stood on end, and it wasn't the cold.

…_I'm being watched…_

-

Back in the museum…

Thomas continued his touching spree in the museum. Occasionally he'd touch something that wasn't a duplicate but the original object. When it was, he'd know.

He always knew.

He made contact with another pot. Exhaled deeply… closed his eyes.

_A potter with red hair spins the pot around on a pedestal… the exact date is September 4, 1243. Exactly where it was, Thomas couldn't tell-_

He pulled his finger away, opening his eyes. Thomas didn't like using his _ability _for a long amount of time. It made him tired quickly. "This one's an original," he said aloud to himself. "It's been to many museums before here. Probably a new addition, but I couldn't get a clear history… it's too long and complicated to perceive unless I spent longer…" he trailed off, realizing he was speaking aloud. _If someone overheard me, would they believe me anyway?_

He went on to the next artifact. It looked like it didn't belong in the pottery section. Without hesitation, Thomas put his finger to it and-

"_Thomas?"_an echoing voice resounded.

Thomas' eyes flung wide open. He looked around. He peered upwards to a security camera, looking away from him.

"Who's there?" Thomas whispered.

"_Don't worry. Nobody can hear me but you… I need to show you something."_

Thomas' heart raced. "Who are you?"

"_My real name doesn't matter right now. But I'm in your head now. You can call me God..."_

"_God…" Thomas repeated dumbly._

"_You must step outside and follow the cloaked one," 'God' commanded._

-

Stephen pulled his hood down to see the man across the street more clearly- the one who'd been watching him- without turning his body or acknowledging the man's presence. The man across the street turned the corner right after an old lady passed that way, and suddenly Stephen felt something was wrong.

As all of this occurred, Thomas (by 'God's instruction) rushed down the steps of the museum.

"The cloaked one…" Thomas mumbled to himself. He caught what appeared to be a hooded figure across the street, just turning the corner, out of sight.

"_That is him, all right," _'God' mumbled. "_Now wait here. When I say so, I want you to run down that street you saw him go down. He won't get far…"_

"Won't get far?" Thomas asked, alarmed.

'God' didn't answer. It would be several minutes.

-

It was now 5:30am. The sun still had yet to rise.

Aubrey had waited impatiently in the car for at least twenty minutes. Finally, she stopped the car and walked back towards the museum.

Suddenly, she spots a figure darting into an alleyway.

_That looked like Thomas… _she knew. She ran briskly down the street, puffing a frustrated cloud of warm steam into the frigid air. She turned the corner and there was Thomas, looking down at the alley ground in horror.

She looked down and gagged.

Blood and what looked like crystals of ice ebbed quietly into the storm drain nearby.

Thomas carefully reached down with his hands and touched what he assumed to be a piece of flesh.

"_I knew you were clairsentient," _'God' mumbled into Thomas' head.

"Be quiet, I need to concentrate," Thomas said to 'God'. Aubrey held her hand to her mouth.

Thomas made contact with the frozen flash. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then he slowly exhaled, pulling the event out of the item as he did with the pots not long ago…

-

_It was 5:15 again; fifteen minutes before Thomas had touched the flesh, it was still a part of a living organism. Aubrey was still in the car waiting for Thomas, and the hooded figure of Stephen had seen a man run down this very alley after an old woman took the wrong turn, it appeared._

5:15- Flashback in the alley

Stephen dashed after the man and the old woman, sensing something wrong.

He was right. As he stepped into the alley entrance, the man had already pulled the gun out, loading the pistol and pointing it at the old lady.

The mugger noticed Stephen immediately, turning the gun to face him, too. The gun roamed from one target to the other.

"You first," the robber said to the elderly woman. "Drop the purse."

The white-haired woman carefully lowered the purse to the ground, mumbling something in perhaps German. Maybe a prayer, or a plead for mercy… Stephen was unsure.

The gun turned to Stephen. "Come on in," the gunman said.

Thomas took a few steps into the alleyway, out of view of the street now. He thought he heard someone nearby on the street, but it's not like he could've called out for help without being shot…

_What were you thinking, Stephen… what was it, your sense of duty…? Why the hell are you here? This is a routine robbery, why'd you have to come this way? Why'd you decide to walk to the store today?_

The robber calmly moved back to the senior lady with his gun. His face was solemn, contemplative. "You've lived long enough, right?"

"Stop!" Stephen shouted. He heard the walking noises on the other side of the street cease for a moment. The gunman panicked, turning the gun to him, his fingers crunching down on the trigger like a reflex-

-and Stephen responded with a reflex of his own, suddenly feeling a numbing heat-like sensation in his hands-

And he winced when he figured the gun went off, but instead he heard a different noise. A scream, but no gun shot…

The old lady ran passed him and onto the street, leaving behind her purse in her panic.

Stephen stared at the gunman in horror. A trail of ice that began a foot or so in front of Stephen had made its way four feet on the ground to where the gunman stood, encased in ice himself. The ice had already begun to crack, and as a piece of it crumbled off, so did the arm it enveloped.

Stephen felt his hands. They were warm… more than that, they felt feverishly hot. But he wasn't hurt. He put his hands into his pockets, flipping his hood back up first. He turned to leave the alleyway when he came face-to-face with another witness. It seemed to be a boy around his age, maybe seventeen or eighteen, but much taller. He stood at the site with horror.

Stephen passed the horrified spectator. "Get away from here while you can," Stephen said, still wondering exactly what happened- but not wondering what would happen if he were caught…

The spectator, still terrified beyond belief, finally regained some sense and ran away from the frozen perpetrator as well. As he did so, the ice statue crumbled even more and pieces of the frozen gunman shattered on the asphalt.

-

5: 30am

Thomas opened his eyes, tired and terrified, quickly withdrawing from the object he touched. He turned to Aubrey, who stood mortified exactly where another spectator once did fifteen minutes ago.

"Why did you want me… us… to see this?" Thomas asked his mental guide.

"_I'm not done. I'm here to send you on a mission, but you still have much to learn. Go home with your girl, and then I will send you to uncover another scene. All will reveal itself to you…"_

-

7:00am

'The tall spectator' had rushed home, locking himself into his apartment. It was growing light outside as the sun emerged over the city (and over the crime scene where police, by this time, had found the remains of the gunman). Light flooded into the shoddy apartment window.

"Oh my God," the terrified spectator mumbled to himself. "Oh my God… Oh my God… there really are others…"

-

_In such a short time, such radical changes had occurred in several lives. An entity that calls himself God reveals himself to me; a boy named Stephen reveals his own abilities; and as the sun revealed itself over the horizon, a new day- the first of three in this tale- heralds even more radical changes. Put on the track we were on, we have no chance but to follow through with our actions as we are supposed to._

_But what if we could break free of this 'fate'? What if Stephen didn't intervene with his own judgments and ideologies of right and wrong? What if my own 'little sin'- touching museum artifacts (but is this 'more wrong' than the armed robbery or are they both simply wrong?)…what if I had stopped, and went out to the car after Aubrey at 5:00am? Would life have gone on? Were certain events inevitable?_

_We shall never know; we are all trapped within the maze, and we must all follow our own paths to salvation, whether they are clear to us or not…_

_(to be continued)_

_Next Chapter: Day One: The Resolution _


	2. Day One: The Resolution

A/N I'm planning on posting 1-2 times a week in following chapters, but I just decided that since I just started I would post up a second chapter in quick succession. Enjoy, and please comment!

Three Days Over

**Day One: The Resolution**

* * *

_Belief systems- some would argue them to be a shelter for the human mind, to protect it from harsh realities. Some see it as a necessity, an ability not only to believe, but to trust- trust those around and above you. Still others see belief systems as an archaic evil that we as a species must overcome in order to be truly enlightened. And more still believe that we must do just the opposite…_

_Regardless of one's position on the importance of belief- may it be in spiritual faith, social dependence, or any other number of mediums- it can hardly be argued that belief systems are not important. To instill one is to put oneself in the hands of another. To break down one might tear apart the moral and social fabric of an individual. Belief systems create and destroy lives. In a way they define us._

_- _

5: 30am

Thomas opened his eyes, tired and terrified, quickly withdrawing from the object he touched. Ice crystals and goblets of ruby-like blood ebbed slowly into the drain, slowly oozing past his shoes into the crevices of the curb. Thomas noted that the old lady who was almost robbed had left her purse, but he had no plans to do anything with it. _Let the police handle this…_

Audrey stood terrified at the alleyway entrance, trying to piece together what happened for herself. She had simply walked over to the alleyway to see Thomas touching something in the bloody mess… and now it looked like he was talking to himself. Still, she found that she couldn't move.

"Why did you want me… us… to see that?" Thomas asked his mental guide, the entity that had appeared to him not more than a half-hour ago; the entity that called itself God.

"_I'm not done,"_ God said from within Thomas' own head,_ "I'm here to send you on a mission, but you still have much to learn. Go home with your girl, and then I will send you to uncover another scene. All will reveal itself to you…"_

"…all will reveal itself to me? Who do you think I am?" Thomas muttered.

"_Did you note all that was present during the event?" _God asked, reminding Thomas of some old school teacher who would talk down to him, back in middle school… _Boy, I hated that…_

"Yeah…" he answered, wondering if God could read his thoughts. He didn't ask out of fear. "The old lady, the man with the gun who was killed, and Ste… ste… the guy who killed the man with the gun… and the guy who witnessed it- the tall guy who stood there like a statue. So four of them…"

"_What was the gunman's name?"_

"How should I know?" Thomas asked, a little too loudly.

"_I was just wondering… you almost correctly guessed the evolved boy's name."_

"Evolved…?" Thomas asked.

"_Nevermind,"_God said almost too absently. Thomas was beginning to doubt. _"Now do as I say, and take the girl home. Then we will take a trip into the city."_

Thomas almost considered defying him, but suddenly Audrey spoke up.

"I…I want to go home."

Thomas looked up at her in surprise. "Oh my God, Audrey… do you know what happened here?"

"No, and I don't want to," Audrey said. She sounded like herself, but she looked really tired. Resigned, even. "Just take me home."

-

7:00 am

'The tall spectator' had rushed home, locking himself into his apartment. It was growing light outside as the sun emerged over the city (and over the crime scene where police, by this time, had found the remains of the gunman). Light flooded into the shoddy apartment window.

"Oh my God," the terrified spectator mumbled to himself. "Oh my God… Oh my God… there really are others…"

Dripping water could be heard coming from somewhere within his room. Ignoring it, he paced about for a few moments, recalling what he had seen.

_This boy froze another person. Not just at the surface… he completely froze every inch of the man, which is why when it crumbled, it took his body parts down with him. _

_Disgusting._

_Sickening._

_How many other people can do things like him… and I…?_

"There are others," he said to himself, much calmer now. "But there can't be many."

-

12:00 pm

The sun hung over the sky as Stephen- the boy who had accidentally killed a man just a little more than six hours ago- sat lazily in the Old Wooden Box, his name for his neighbor's tree-house that he and his best friend Ashton had built back before cars and girls and all kinds of troubles had estranged them, in a weird way.

"Hey," Ashton said as he climbed the ladder and slung himself onto the seemingly-ancient wooden platforms. A lit cigarette from his mouth dropped some sort of tar on the floorboard. Stephen looked down at it in disgust.

"How's it goin', Ash?" he greeted in mock formality. "You get your car back?"

"Naw, man," Ashton said. Thomas wrinkled his nose at the cigarette. Ash took a drag, and coughed. "This is some low quality shit."

Stephen shrugged. He noticed that the embers on the end of Ashton's cigarette died away. A last trail of smoke died in the light breeze. Ashton pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and examined it.

"I mean… what the hell?" Ashton complained again, almost as entertained as he was pissed. "Check it out, Steve. I just lit this and it just stopped burning...!"

"Maybe it's a sign from God. Maybe you should quit," Stephen laughed. It was true that the cigarette has suddenly gone stiff and a little cold- and the entire time he looked at the cigarette all he could think of was the frozen man.

_Did I do that?_

_- _

1:00 pm

Thomas walked grudgingly on the busy city streets. People left and right rubbed shoulders with him harshly as they marched the other way. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation behind his eyes somewhere, like an alarm going off. He was careful as he looked around, trying not to appear crazy. He didn't want to speak aloud and ask 'God' what was going on.

"_You felt something, didn't you?" _God asked

"No," Thomas said automatically. "I just freaked out for a second. Forgot where I was." _Why did I say that?_

God seemed to sigh. _"You are a rare model of Empath, Thomas."_

"I'm not a model," Thomas said aloud. Some people who overheard him took a wide arc around him. He didn't realize what they thought he meant. "…and I'm not an Empath… I've had this discussion before. I've had my abilities for a year now, you know. The museum was not the beg…"

"_I know," _God said. _"The fact still stands that you can develop your power any way you want. With your rare mental-based ability, by exercising your ability you can stretch its limits. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to explore your abilities…"_

Thomas sighed. He turned around and walked the way he came. "Okay," Thomas said.

"_So you did feel something?"_

"Yes. A weird sensation… when someone passed by."

"_You mean other than your usual abilities? Was it someone familiar?" _God asked, seeming very curious.

Strengthened by the fact that his new mentor was as unsure as he was, Thomas decided to answer. "Yes, and no. Yes, this was definitely something different. And no, she was not familiar to me at all."

He accelerated his walking speed, searching out the girl who had set off his 'mental alarm'…

-

1:15 –an office

"Was the body cleaned up?" a suited man with black gloves asked from his seat at his desk. To his right, a little girl (perhaps his daughter?) stood quietly, watching the police officer that the suited man addressed.

"Yes sir," the officer confirmed. He stared uneasily into the eyes of the black-gloved man, and then the girl.

"Very good," the black-gloved man said. He turned to a girl, and gave a brief nod.

"Go back to the police station and return or destroy all evidence of the murder. Then forget everything," the girl said. The black-gloved man patted her lightly on the head.

Without a second's hesitation, the police officer was already leaving.

-

2:00 pm

The 'tall spectator' of Stephen's murder of the gunman got up from his computer. He seemed distraught. Dirty rain-water leaked from two spots in his apartment ceiling. They plopped into half-full buckets. He typed away quickly. Finally, his printer hummed to life and slide after slide of little paper cards slipped out of the printer to take.

He walked over to the printer, examining his printed work. Nodding his approval, he took the pile of papers with him as he made for the door.

_The others are vile._

_The others are sickening._

_They are a threat to humanity…_

_But there can't be many…_

"I will have to save us all," the tall spectator mumbled solemnly to himself as his apartment door shut behind him.

_We as humans are often forced to make resolutions as to where and to whom we place our trust. Our belief systems and trust in others define our characters as the social creatures we are. As I make a decision to confide in the shady entity called 'God' and resolve to find the girl who made some mental alarm go off in my head, I often wonder if it's the right choice I'm making, pursuing unknowns without protection and depending only on 'God' for guidance. Stephen also has decisions to make as to the recurring nature of his ability. Will he find comfort in confiding in a friend, or will he go it alone, knowing that he and two other people on this earth share a grim secret? One of the sharers of this secret- the tall spectator- appears to have torn down a belief system that had kept him comfort for many years- that he was the only one with abilities. He, as we all do almost every day, must make a resolution as to how to handle his situation. Unfortunately, it appears he already has._

(To be continued)

Next Chapter: Day One: Detection


	3. Day One: Detection

Author's Note: Well, I finished this chapter much faster than expected, so here it is!

**Three Days Over**

**Day One: Detection**

* * *

_A key factor in human behavior is the 'relationship'. Any common connection between two people, real or imagined or a little bit of both. It can be a connection fueled with love, hate, mutual understanding, common knowledge or common circumstance, among a thousand other things._

_Being the social creatures we are, we often find ourselves seeking to create or maintain relationships. Sometimes these social interactions are only fronts to find or attain something, and other times these interactions are genuine. Regardless, these connections are a powerful tool in our development as a species, and as individuals._

-

12:00 pm- Old Wooden Box (Ash's old tree house)

"I mean… what the hell?" Ashton complained again, almost as entertained as he was pissed. "Check it out, Steve. I just lit this and it just stopped burning...!"

"Maybe it's a sign from God. Maybe you should quit," Stephen laughed. It was true that the cigarette has suddenly gone stiff and a little cold- and the entire time he looked at the cigarette all he could think of was the frozen man.

_Did I do that? _Stephen wondered.

Ash, amused and not quite as flabbergasted as Stephen imagined he should be, put down the chilled cigarette and fished his pockets for another one. He pulled one out and got out his lighter.

Stephen sighed. _Should I…_

"Don't light another one," Stephen said, half-impulsively. "I'll probably freeze that one, too."

At that, Ash paused, half-into the process of lighting his cigarette, absorbing what he just heard calmly. A little too calmly for Stephen, who was beginning to regret what he had said already. Ash didn't light the cigarette. He didn't lower it, either.

"What's that supposed to mean…?" Ash asked. He was smiling, but he sounded all too serious.

_­_-

1:00 pm- city streets

Thomas walked grudgingly on the busy city streets. People left and right rubbed shoulders with him harshly as they marched the other way. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation behind his eyes somewhere, like an alarm going off. He was careful as he looked around, trying not to appear crazy. He didn't want to speak aloud and ask 'God' what was going on.

"_You felt something, didn't you?" _God asked

"Yes. A weird sensation… when someone passed by."

"_You mean other than your usual abilities? Was it someone familiar?" _God asked, seeming very curious.

Strengthened by the fact that his new mentor was as unsure as he was, Thomas decided to answer. "Yes, and no. Yes, this was definitely something different. And no, she was not familiar to me at all."

He accelerated his walking speed, searching out the girl who had set off his 'mental alarm'…

-

1:15 pm

"That's her," Thomas said suddenly, touching his head with the palm of one hand briefly, before pulling it away, conscious of how he'd look to anyone in the crowd around him.

Some lady brushed past his bare hand and he detected that she was from Texas and was late for an appointment. He didn't really care, but the information kind of wedged into his concentration. He put his hands in his pockets to decrease any thought-based distractions as the constant stream of people drifted around him on their paths to somewhere else.

The girl had red hair, and somewhere something in the back of Thomas' head sparked. _I know her from somewhere…_

"That's her," Thomas repeated, not hearing any response from 'God' the first time. Or perhaps to remind himself who she was, which still eluded him.

"_I hear you," _God replied calmly.

"...I'm going to get her name," Thomas said. "Find out why I felt something when she passed."

"_A good idea."_

Thomas followed her down the pathway, comfortably disguised in the rush of human traffic.

-

1:15 pm- the office

"Was the body cleaned up?" a suited man with black gloves asked from his seat at his desk. To his right, a little girl (perhaps his daughter?) stood quietly, watching the police officer that the suited man addressed.

"Yes sir," the officer confirmed. He stared uneasily into the eyes of the black-gloved man, and then the girl.

"Very good," the black-gloved man said. He turned to a girl, and gave a brief nod.

"Go back to the police station and return or destroy all evidence of the murder. Then forget everything," the girl said. The black-gloved man patted her lightly on the head.

Without a second's hesitation, the police officer was already leaving.

The black-gloved man turned to the girl. "We intercepted a purse at the scene of the event. I need you to interview her, Kayla. We can't have any difficulties today, because our inspection is tomorrow."

"Why are you so worried about an inspection?" little Kayla asked.

"Because, normally it's a Company Inspector coming to make sure we're following protocol. Tomorrow, somebody special is coming to check out things. Remember Mr. Bennet?"

"You mean, the man with the glasses?" Kayla asked quietly, as though the man would hear his name wherever he was at the moment.

"Yes, dear," the black-gloved man sighed. "I don't know what he wants, but it must be important. We have to be in tip-top shape when he arrives, do you understand?"

Kayla nodded solemnly.

"Very good. Now, I believe we have the woman held in the interrogation office. Make sure to figure out who the Special is that did this," the black-gloved man said again. "At least find out what his power and/or identity is…"

"Isn't that obvious? He can freeze things," Kayla said.

Black-gloves sighed. "He's only shown that he can freeze things. It could be only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe he hasn't got a hold of his powers and has only learned the most basic form. There are a lot of ways freezing a man could be done, Kayla. We can't assume that these are the limits of his power. Look at us," he said finally.

Kayla nodded understanding.

-

1:20- city streets

Thomas reached out and touched her shoulder- if only for an instant- and a name began to visualize in Thomas' minds eye. Suddenly, she wasn't right in front of him anymore.

Surprised, Thomas looked around, and finally spotted her red hair across the street, her feet shuffling in a much brisker walk than before, even though she wasn't running.

She looked behind her and their eyes met- and Thomas wished they hadn't. She disappeared again, appearing even further away.

"I'm not sure if it's her birth name, but she goes by Avery Rains," Thomas mumbled just loud enough for what he assumed 'God' could hear. "And for some reason, I think I've heard her name before." He began to pick up speed and found himself running down the street, jostling the people around him as he struggled to keep sight of he red-haired girl- Avery Rains- before she found herself farther away again, however she did that. _Does she teleport or something? Or just move really fast…? Or…_

She disappeared into a building that he didn't recognize. Without hesitation, Thomas ran to that door, opened it, and immediately felt something hit the side of his head… hard. He fell sideways to the ground and felt the room melt away and everything went black.

-

4:00 pm -a library

Sarah looked down at the card in her hand. "Mohinder Suresh," it read, "geneticist." Under that, it merely bullet pointed some terms. One of them said "Activating Evolution- Chandra Suresh". Another had a link to a site, reading, "contact Mohinder here". It was too good to be true, after the last few hours she had endured, that she picked this card up in her mailbox just this afternoon.

Sarah was appalled that the library didn't carry what she assumed was a book, "Activating Evolution". So she went ahead to the next item, the website.

She pulled it up and read.

Suddenly, a craggy hand gripped her shoulder. Her heart pounded so heard it echoed in her head. She turned around, panicking, and realized it was the librarian, but it was too late.

Their eyes had made contact.

Her ability had taken its effect.

Sarah scrambled off of the computer, running a wide arc around the petrified librarian, who suddenly fell over and didn't get up or even move, although her eyes still followed Sarah out the door.

-

5:00 pm- the tall spectator's apartment

The 'tall spectator' walked back into his leaky apartment. He looked exhausted. He wore a cheap business suit. Put his little suitcase into a corner.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _The bucket was filling up with leaking water.

"Another day in front of the cubicles, Alex?" a boy's voice mocked from the kitchen, as yet unseen.

"Yes," Alex, the tall spectator, replied simply. "Go home. I don't have your money."

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The boy, perhaps twelve years old, walked out of the kitchen and into Alex's view. "Mom's not happy that your apartment is still leaky. You should get it fixed."

"Where is mom?" Alex asked monotonously. He walked past the boy and sat down at his computer, perhaps the only thing in his apartment that wasn't run down. He flipped on the screen and looked at his email inbox. His eyes lit up suddenly.

"She's at home," the boy said.

"You should go home, too, then," Alex said calmly, with a hint of sharpness.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

"Or what?" Alex's brother replied.

The water stopped dripping. It was winter, and the sky was already darkening rapidly. The silence and the lengthening shadows became unnerving to the younger brother in the shoddy, unkempt room. Alex turned his head to face his brother. "Go. Now."

The boy spat angrily and stormed out of the room.

Alex turned back to his computer, clicking on a particular one.

"Mister Suresh," he read out loud, "My name's Sarah and I have a problem. I heard you can help me. Can we talk?"

Alex laughed to himself. _Found another one in only a few hours. _

He began to type.

(To be continued)

Next Chapter: (Day Two) Inspection

Author's Note: There is no epilogue paragraph for this one, because the established narrator for those paragraphs (hinted as being Thomas) is not conscious at the point that this chapter ends. So, have a nice day!


	4. Day One and Two: Inspection, part one

A/N: Once again, due to Thomas' mental state, the monologues must be missed!

**Three Days Over**

**Day One-Two: Inspection, Part One  
**

* * *

**Day One **

-

12:05pm

"Don't light another one," Stephen said, half-impulsively. "I'll probably freeze that one, too."

At that, Ash paused, half-into the process of lighting his cigarette, absorbing what he just heard calmly. A little too calmly for Stephen, who was beginning to regret what he had said already. Ash didn't light the cigarette. He didn't lower it, either.

"What's that supposed to mean…?" Ash asked. He was smiling, but he sounded all too serious.

Stephen heaved a heavy sigh. He raised his hands. They were beginning to feel warm. Feverish.

He focused on the lighter this time and reached his hand out, about a foot away from it. Ash reflexively dropped his lighter as a thin sheet of ice enveloped it. The ice crackled on impact with the floor.

"I need help," Stephen said, focusing back on their hands. _Back to normal, now. Come on. Back to normal._

His hands began to cool. A little steam rose from them.

"Why would you need help?" Ash asked.

_He's not taking this the way I expected. _

"Don't you get it?" Stephen asked, his voice rising a little. "This isn't a magic trick, Ash."

"Never said it was," he replied calmly.

"I think I killed a man," Stephen blurted.

Ash looked at him in the eye.

"Why?" Ash asked coolly.

"I didn't mean to. I was just defending myself, Ash. Against a mugger. He held a gun at me and I wanted him to stop, and next thing I know bits of him are crumbling off… frozen solid," Stephen said. It felt good to tell the story after the morning hours of silence and fear he undertook just earlier that day.

"Did you tell anyone else?" Ash asked, his voice dropping but sounding concerned.

"No… but two other people saw me, I think."

Ash's calm demeanor ceased. His eyes widened. "People saw you," he repeated.

Stephen looked up at him. "Yeah."

"What did you do then?"

"I ran, Ash."

"Well,_that's _a problem," Ash mumbled just loud enough for Stephen's earshot.

Stephen looked up at him, trying to figure out what was going on in Ash's head. _How can he be so calm? Doesn't he get it?_

Ash distractedly pulled a second lighter out of his pocket. Stephen eyed it, amused and disgusted by the appearance of a second lighter. Ash absentmindedly lit another cigarette.

"You need to get out of town, bro," Ash said finally.

"Shouldn't I just…"

Ash glared at Stephen and he quieted.

"No, you have to go. Nobody who's not a Special will believe you. The Company might try to contain you if they're certain it's you," Ash said suddenly. Then he took a long drag from his cigarette, shaking his head as if to fight off a colossal headache.

"Special? Company?" Stephen almost laughed. "What're you talking about? And if nobody will believe me, why do you?"

"Say, Stephen, how long have we been friends?" Ash interjected as Stephen was in mid-sentence.

Stephen thought about it. "A long time," he replied simply.

"A damned long time," Ash emphasized. "Just this once, I'm asking you not to ask questions and go. I'll skip town too and tell your parents you left with me on vacation or something. They'll be pissed, but it's nothing compared to what will happen if you stay."

Stephen stared blankly out to space. Ash blew a stream of cigarette smoke into the breeze.

Ash slid his lighter back into his pocket, making for the ladder to get down out of the Old Wooden Box.

"I'm serious," Ash said, making eye contact with Stephen one last time. He was calm, but Stephen saw something in his eyes. Fear? "You need to be gone by tomorrow morning."

Stephen sat alone in the tree house they had built nameless years ago, trying in vain to contemplate what was going on.

-

1:25 pm- city streets

"I'm not sure if it's her birth name, but she goes by Avery Rains," Thomas mumbled just loud enough for what he assumed 'God' could hear. "And for some reason, I think I've heard her name before." He began to pick up speed and found himself running down the street, jostling the people around him as he struggled to keep sight of he red-haired girl- Avery Rains- before she found herself farther away again, however she did that. _Does she teleport or something? Or just move really fast…? Or…_

She disappeared into a building that he didn't recognize. Without hesitation, Thomas ran to that door, opened it, and immediately felt something hit the side of his head… hard. He fell sideways to the ground and felt the room melt away and everything went black.

-

2:00 pm

Ashton rubbed his temple miserably as he walked down to the mailbox. He pulled some mail envelopes out and a card fell to the ground. Ashton at first didn't bother to look at it, but he soon double-taked.

_Mohinder Suresh. _

Ashton hurriedly bent low, picking the card up, and rushed back into the house.

He sat down at his computer. _This is perfect timing. Maybe I can get Steve some safe lodging with sympathizers…_

-

5:00 pm

Alex, the 'tall spectator', turned back to his computer, clicking on a particular email first.

"Mister Suresh," he read out loud, "My name's Sarah and I have a problem. I heard you can help me. Can we talk?"

Alex laughed to himself. _Found another one in only a few hours. _

He began to type.

"_Hello, Sarah._ _We have a system here for tracking Specials, and it so happens that I'm in town, if you'd like to meet me. I will be at the Pizza Parlor on Main Street tomorrow morning at eight."_

Alex's hands clenched and unclenched. _It's only been a few hours and already a few of them have shown up. They aren't very good at hiding…_

_But that's okay, because if you're not smart enough to hide, you're not strong enough to survive…_

Already, other emails remained unopened on his desktop, ready to be picked. Alex opened another one whose name read 'Ashton'. _Can only take care of so many in one day…_

-

5:00 pm- interrogation room

Little Kayla sat quietly on one end of the table, silently observing the old lady who sat in front of her.

"Tell me if this is your purse, yes or no?" Kayla asked. She spoke normally, but her voice seemed to amplify and echo, as if demonized somehow.

"Yes, that is my purse," the lady said as though in a trance. She had a thick German accent.

"You witnessed a murder?"

"Yes."

"Who was killed?"

"An armed man tried to mug me."

"Did you know him?"

"No."

"Who killed him?"

"A boy, I couldn't see him very well. It was before sunrise, very early in the morning… still dark…"

"Why did he do it?"

"To protect me, maybe? Or protect himself," the old lady answered in her hypnotized state.

"Was there anyone else there?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I couldn't see him well, either. He was tall, though. That's all I remember."

"Why didn't you call the police?" Kayla asked.

"I was terrified," the old lady said. "But I did not want to endanger the boy."

"Are you, or are you not, aware of or identified with known Specials?"

The old lady struggled. She pressed her lips as though to keep the words from coming out of her like bile.

"Answer the question," little Kayla said harshly. "I can push harder."

"…yes," the old lady said finally.

"How?"

"I spoke with Chandra Suresh about my adopted daughter. She's long gone, though. You will not find her unless she wants you to."

-

**Day Two**

6:00 am

A man with horn-rimmed glasses stepped out of his car in front of the Primatech Paper manufacturing facility. Out of the passenger seat stepped a solemn looking black man, with a necklace that donned a silver helix on it.

The man with the horn-rimmed glasses, Noah Bennet from the Company's high management, looked into the skies. It was still maybe two more hours to sunrise, but already the clouds were moving rapidly.

"Looks like we'll have some stormy weather," Mr. Bennet said aside to the Haitian, who turned to him and half-nodded.

Before he took another step, the infamous Company man cocked and loaded his pistol. "Let the inspection begin," Mr. Bennet said amusedly.

(to be continued)

Next: Day Two: Inspection, Part Two

-

A/N Update coming soon! Things start piecing together really soon...


	5. Day Two: Inspection, part two

A/N I suppose now's as good a time as any to announce that this is all AU, incase that hasn't been assumed. The whereabouts of the classic Heroes characters may have been altered to fit the story better :P

**Day Two: Inspection, part two**

-

(Day One) 12:10 pm

"You need to get out of town, bro," Ash said finally.

"Shouldn't I just…" Stephen began.

Ash glared at Stephen and he quieted.

"No, you have to go. Nobody who's not a Special will believe you. The Company might try to contain you if they're certain it's you," Ash said suddenly. Then he took a long drag from his cigarette, shaking his head as if to fight off a colossal headache.

"Special? Company?" Stephen almost laughed. "What're you talking about? And if nobody will believe me, why do you?"

"Say, Stephen, how long have we been friends?" Ash interjected as Stephen was in mid-sentence.

Stephen thought about it. "A long time," he replied simply.

"A damned long time," Ash emphasized. "Just this once, I'm asking you not to ask questions and go. I'll skip town too and tell your parents you left with me on vacation or something. They'll be pissed, but it's nothing compared to what will happen if you stay… You need to be gone by tomorrow morning."

-

(Day One) 5:00 pm- interrogation room

"Tell me if this is your purse, yes or no?" Kayla asked. She spoke normally, but her voice seemed to amplify and echo, as if demonized somehow.

"Yes, that is my purse," the lady said as though in a trance. She had a thick German accent.

"You witnessed a murder?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you call the police?" Kayla asked.

"I was terrified," the old lady said. "But I did not want to endanger the boy."

"Are you or are you not aware of or identified with known Specials?"

The old lady struggled. She pressed her lips as though to keep the words from coming out of her like bile.

"Answer the question," Kayla said harshly. "I can push harder."

"…yes," the old lady said finally.

"How?"

"I spoke with Chandra Suresh about my adopted daughter. She's long gone, though. You will not find her unless she wants you to," the old lady sighed, as though the words were stolen from her mouth

Little Kayla stared the old lady right in the eye.

"What is your adopted daughter's name?"

The old lady struggled. A tear rolled down her stoic facial features. "Avery Rains."

Kayla stood up from the table. _I could MAKE her find her adopted daughter, but I'd need permission in order to let her leave. _Kayla was very young, but she was no fool.

-

**(Day Two)**

-

6:00 am

A man with horn-rimmed glasses stepped out of his car in front of the Primatech Paper manufacturing facility. Out of the passenger seat stepped a solemn looking black man, with a necklace that donned a silver helix on it.

The man with the horn-rimmed glasses, Noah Bennet from the Company's high management, looked into the skies. It was still maybe two more hours to sunrise, but already the clouds were moving rapidly.

"Looks like we'll have some stormy weather," Mr. Bennet said aside to the Haitian, who turned to him and half-nodded.

Before he took another step, the infamous Company man cocked and loaded his pistol. "Let the inspection begin," Mr. Bennet said amusedly.

-

6:15- Primatech

The black-gloved man greeted Mr. Bennet in his office.

"Mister Bennet, my old mentor!" He said, sounding pleased but looking stoic.

The Haitian entered the room, standing statuesque in the corner near the door.

"How're the operations going down here, Samson?" Noah Bennet asked calmly.

"Well… but why have you come for the inspection, instead of the usual inspectors?"

Mr. Bennet looked at Samson for a moment, and then turned to look out the window.

"I'm no fan of the Company," Mr. Bennet said.

"You've always said that," Samson affirmed. "You always called it a 'necessary evil'."

"Exactly," Mr. Bennet said. "Some of our rivals within the Company refer to you and a few of my other protégés as 'Bennet's Disciples'."

"I've heard," Samson chuckled lightly.

"Can I trust you well enough to consider you a Disciple?" Bennet asked, all too seriously.

Samson was quiet for a minute. "Mister Bennet, what are you about to tell me…?"

"Old Claude's been harboring Specials," Bennet continued. "We had in incarcerated last week. As it turns out, he's very good at sending and receiving messages. We were able to intercept one coming back to him, addressed to this area. It's allegedly from his daughter. Claude claims not to have a daughter… but I doubt him."

"So what's your plan of action?" Black-gloved Samson asked.

"Her name is Avery Rains. We will do the basic bag-and-tag routine, but then we'll bring her home to Claude. We can exchange her freedom for information on whatever other dangerous Specials he might be hiding," Bennet said simply.

Kayla walked into the room, walking a wide arc around Mister Bennet, as if fearing contamination of some kind.

"Kayla, we're looking for an Avery Rains," Samson said.

"Then you're in luck," she announced, smiling sweetly.

-

6:30 am

Thomas opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and his head pulsed as though it were breathing, so far as he was concerned.

"…Audrey…?" he rasped. Thomas cleared his throat and his vision came into focus.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened and panicked. He jumped to his feet, still dizzy and nauseated.

"Not Audrey, Avery," the red-hair girl said. "Looks like you're a Special, too, huh?"

"How would you know?" Thomas asked defensively.

"Because," she laughed, "it looks like you have the Mark."

"The Mark?" Thomas asked.

"How long have you known you were a Special?" Avery asked.

"Maybe about a year," Thomas said.

"Have you ever woken up with a terrible headache… and you didn't remember the entire day before that?" Avery asked cryptically.

Thunder rolled softly somewhere outside.

-

7:45 am

_Did someone find out I killed that guy?_

_Did Ash rat me out?_

Stephen tirelessly watched the unmarked car parked just across the street. There was still a figure in the car. Two figures.

They'd been there for over three hours already.

"_The Company might try to contain you if they're certain it's you…"_Ash's voice haunted him.

Stephen pulled on a jacket, and ran out the back door.

He sprinted across his back yard and jumped his fence. Soon he found himself running across the street, odd drops of water irregularly hitting the ground in front of him.

-

7:59am

"_Hello, Sarah._ _We have a system here for tracking Specials, and it so happens that I'm in town, if you'd like to meet me. I will be at the Pizza Parlor on Main Street tomorrow morning at eight."_

Alex, the tall spectator, smiled to himself.

_Too easy. Pose as Suresh; one email, one location._

Gray clouds rolled violently above. The occasional raindrop fell prematurely onto the parking lot in front of him.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Alex flexed his fingers.

_Soon, there will be one less dangerous strain on this planet-_

-

8:00 am

Stephen felt the rain beginning to come down. Thunder drummed quietly in the gray skies above. The sun hadn't shown its face all morning yet.

Stephen slowed to a stop next to a brick building. He looked into the window, thinking of taking refuge inside. Unknowingly, he and a girl named Sarah- who thought she was going to meet Doctor Suresh this morning- made eye contact. Neither of them knew the other.

Stephen turned the corner and suddenly the morning got so much worse.

_It's the tall spectator...?_

Alex marched purposefully across the parking lot towards the Pizza Parlor, but at seeing Stephen, he slowed to a stop.

"How perfect could this be?" he wondered to himself. "Two dangerous strains of human eliminated in one morning."

Stephen was unsure how to react, but he saw as the tall spectator's hands rose until his palms faced Stephen, and suddenly Stephen knew there was trouble.

(to be continued)

---

A/N This is the past chapter I wrote from the session when I wrote everything up to here, and then I'll probably let this story hang in hiatus for a little while. Depending on if I get many more reactions, and my feelings at the time, I might end this little fanfic early or continue with the intended course. But I do have some new ones in the works, so don't count me out or anything yet!

Have a great day!

-Nerdzclub


End file.
